Stay With Me
by nikoneko123
Summary: When Freed and Mira told the guild, Laxus's heart stopped and his blood ran cold. Just the thought of them together made him feel ill. But there was nothing he could do other than drink himself to oblivion. What happens when oblivion gains a face? *I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS ONLY THE PLOT HEREIN- ALL CREDIT TO HIRO MASHIMA.*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

When Laxus had entered the guild that summer's morning, everything had been normal.

Natsu launched a flaming fist in his direction, and had promptly been buried into the wall on the opposite side of the guildhall, Ever, Bix and Freed were sat at the usual table waiting for him, and Mirajane shot him that smile that made his heart skip inside his chest.

Just seeing her face every morning since his re-entry into the guild, somehow made his day start off so much better. Last week when she'd come down with a cold he'd been in a vile mood all week, snapping at Blondie when she brought him his order whilst she filled in for Mira. This obviously made him even less popular with the Celestial Spirit mage than he already was, but at the time all Laxus could think about was Mira.

It was that evening when everything changed. That summer's evening, when Laxus's life would be turned upside down.

Fairy Tail were having one of their usual parties, the kind that go on till midnight as though its New Year's every day. Midway through the party, Freed had left the Thunder Tribes table without a word; odd in itself, but Laxus chose to ignore it in favour of drinking his whiskey. It wasn't until he heard her familiar voice echoing through the guildhall that his blood slowed to a halt and his heart collapsed into his stomach.

'Everyone! I have an announcement to make!' She said, giggling in a way that reminded Laxus of how Bisca always sounded when Alzack was around. He knew then what the "announcement" was. He could smell him beside her before he even turned around.

'Freed finally asked me out!' The guild erupted into cheers, hoots and wolf-whistles as Freed turned bright red at Mira's infectious laughter.

Laxus watched as the new couple intertwined their fingers and stared into one another's eyes, as though the rambunctious guild surrounding them were invisible.

For a moment, Laxus despised his friend. For a single split second, he assessed how easy it was to kill him. Then he realised what was going through his mind, and he gripped the whiskey tumbler tightly in his hand before downing the remnants of the drink, earning a puzzled look from Bix.

'A toast! To the new couple!' Laxus shouted out, pouring himself a full glass from the bottle at his side and turning with a wide smile, his glass held high. Of course, no one saw through his charade of happiness as the celebrations erupted with his words.

It was just after this that the flame-brain stepped up onto the bar, shouting for quiet, before yanking Lisanna from the ground to stand beside him; encircling her slim waist and pulling her so her body was flush against his.

'Yeah, so me and Liss are together too! Double party!' Again, cheers echoed throughout the building. Cana was pouring barrel after barrel of wine down her gullet, Gray and Natsu almost immediately started fighting, Elfman was thumping his chest drunkenly shouting about being manly whilst crying at the "loss" of his sisters, and Erza was demanding they celebrate properly with an immense cake.

Laxus looked on impassively at his guild mates as they clapped the men on the back and squealed with the women. He stood, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and beginning the long, lonely walk up to his office, when he noticed someone who wasn't celebrating.

He watched her walk up to Natsu, a false smile plastered across her face as she hugged them both. He watched her wave good bye to them, still grinning, as she exited the guild into the warm night air.

 _Huh. Looks like I'm not the only one who got left behind._ Shrugging off the momentary feelings of empathy, he disappeared up the stairs.

Within what felt like minutes, Laxus had finished the bottle of whiskey he'd brought with him, and the one he kept for emergencies stashed in his desk drawer. When he'd opened it to check if the bottle was there, feeling sure he'd finished it not long ago, he'd been pleasantly surprised to find it full and unopened. Normally, the lightning dragon slayer would be more suspicious, but in the half drunken, depressed state he was currently in, he didn't question the bottles existence, and instead began working on getting rid of the burning amber liquid.

He scowled as the sounds of the party downstairs reached his ears, glaring in the direction of his guild mates as he finished off the last few drips of whiskey, before throwing the bottle across the room, smashing it against the door.

'Fucking women… fucking Freed… Fucking whiskey…' Laxus grumbled, stumbling upright and opening and closing every drawer in his desk, searching for another bottle of booze but coming up empty handed.

'Fucking guild.' He said before staggering towards the window and throwing it open. There was a slight, cool breeze, but the air temperature was warm. He could sense the oncoming storm; his skin buzzed at the feeling of electricity in the air and he longed to relish in the taste of fresh lightning.

Jumping from the window, he fell on his backside and started giggling to himself, his laugh deep and reverberating in his throat. Slowly, he stood upright and began the long walk towards the local bar only two streets away.

Laxus took a deep breath of fresh air before he entered the pub, knowing if he looked too drunk they'd try and throw him out. He also knew somewhere in the back of his mind, that in his current mood anyone who touched him would end up as ash.

He glared at anyone who attempted to make eye contact with him as he stalked towards the bar, his entire being focused on walking in a straight line. Finally, he reached a bar stool and threw himself on the seat.

'Whiskey, now.' He snapped at the bar tender, and in seconds a large bottle and a filled tumbler were before him. He grunted his thanks as he continued to drink away his sorrows, sometimes pausing to think as he swirled the cinnamon flavoured liquid around the crystal cut glass, wallowing in the depths of self-hatred that had swallowed him up so long ago.

The pits of despair that, with a single smile and laugh from her, he'd been pulled out from. Just seeing her face, looking up at him with such complete trust, made him feel human. She made him feel as though he belonged in Fairy Tail.

Without realising it, she'd stolen his heart, and now she'd crushed it, by dating his best friend. Someone who deserved her, someone who he knew would die for her without a second's hesitation. Freed was better than him. Freed needed her just as much if not more than Laxus did, and because Laxus knew this he hated himself all the more for trying to think the worst of his friend.

'Wow Laxus, never thought I'd find you like this. Come on, let me help you up.' Laxus grunted, his eyes heavy as small hands pulled one arm around a slim neck and yanked him upright, groaning with the effort.

'Come on, Laxus! At least help me a little!' He mumbled incoherently at her words, but somehow managed to take his weight off of the tiny woman whose arm had encircled his waist as much as it could.

'Jeez, I know I told Billy to call me if you got into trouble, but damn it Laxus! I didn't think I'd actually have to come get you.' Laxus frowned, puzzled, and tried to focus on the woman beside him, but his eyes weren't working properly.

'Who… Bobby?'

'You mean Billy, right? He was the bar tender you scared half to death as you cleaned him out of whiskey and vodka. I paid your tab, don't worry. Though you do owe me quite a bit of cash now. Mavis knows how you drank that much and are still alive!' Laxus stared at his feet, watching them go in the wrong directions and giggling at them to himself.

'Wow. You're really drunk. I guess you're coming to mine to sleep it off though, I do live closest and I haven't got a clue where your place is.' Some small part of Laxus's mind that was sobering up quickly took in the woman's words, but considering the majority of his brain was swimming in a haze of alcohol induced happiness, he just allowed the little person to lead him off into the night without a second thought.

She looked up at him, smiling sadly to herself as she recognised the sadness in his eyes that he'd tried to drown out with alcohol. She knew from experience, that didn't work. Every time that person's eyes had passed over her as though she didn't exist to him, she'd felt those same feelings. Loneliness, hatred, regret… guilt.

She knew right now, she was the only person who could help Laxus, despite the pain it would cause her there was no way she could leave him alone now.

It wasn't long till they reached her apartment, and Laxus had somehow managed to sober up enough to realise how tired he was. As soon as the door in front of him opened, he quickly stumbled across the room and collapsed on the bed.

'Hey! You get the couch, get off my bed!' He felt tiny hands grip his arm, and smirked as he turned and grabbed the woman, pulling her slim, curvaceous body against him.

'Laxus! What are you doing? Let me go.' Her voice was tiny and muffled against his chest, but he couldn't sense any fear from her, only the quickening of her heart and the scent of her arousal. He took a deep breath, relishing in that fully feminine scent, and a deep growl rumbled throughout the room.

He heard her breath hitch at the sound, and felt her body tense against his, making his own arousal spring to life. Growling deep in his throat, he pulled her up so her face was level with his, before smashing his lips against hers. At first, she didn't move, but as soon as he nipped her lower lip she moaned and allowed him access to her mouth; her arms encircling his neck and gripping the short tufts of his hair in tight little fists. The slight pull on his scalp made him tense in pleasure before she sucked his lip into her delectable mouth.

He groaned as her body pressed against his, the feeling of her breasts against his chest making him forget his feeling of loneliness. The sweet taste of strawberries on his lips, and the intoxicating scent of her made him forget all of the sorrow and pain he'd tried so hard to drink away.

Still attached to her lips, he threw off his cloak and ripped off his shirt. Immediately, her cool fingers traced across his broad, muscled chest; outlining every dip and divot of his torso as though committing it to memory. She moaned into his mouth as his hands massaged her breasts, jerking her hips upwards wantonly, needing to feel the pressure her body craved.

Her reaction to his touch made his muscles tense, and he forced himself to tear his mouth away from her, before yanking her shirt over her head and returning to the kiss. She latched onto him, her nails softly raking their way down his back, causing him to fist his hands into the sheets on either side of her head.

Pulling away from the passionate kiss, he peppered light caresses with his tongue along her jaw, across her neck and earlobe, before slinking down to her collarbone; making her moan with unrestrained need.

'Mira…' He whispered, his eyes closed as he breathed in her scent. At the name, she froze beneath him. Not noticing, Laxus continued to administer attention to her creamy skin, nipping sharply at the crook of her neck to be rewarded with a guttural moan from the woman beneath him, before her hands pulled his head away and pushed his body off of her.

Laxus blinked in a daze, confused as she stood and pulled on her shirt as she walked away.

'Go to sleep Laxus.' Her voice was cold, emotionless as she went to exit the room. Suddenly, before he could stop himself, he called out to her.

'No!' She stopped and turned, her blonde hair still mussed up from their tryst on the bed. He stared into her hypnotising brown orbs, fear and uncertainty written across his face. Emotions that hadn't been expressed since he was a child.

'What is it Laxus?' Her voice was soft, quiet, but somehow sad.

'Please… stay with me… don't… don't leave me alone.' She blinked in surprise, staring into the unsure grey eyes that were in as much turmoil as the raging storm that had begun outside; the rain lashing against the glass panes and the thunder seeming to split the air in half.

'Laxus… I can't… you don't want this-'

'Okay, I won't try anything, I just… please. I need… someone. Could you just… stay, please?' He said, his heart hammering against his chest, the alcohol still in his system making him able to express his fear of loneliness.

She stared at him for a moment, unmoving, assessing the meaning of his words before letting out a sigh.

'Okay.' She whispered, walking back towards the bed and dropping her belt on the bedside table, before quickly changing into a pair of pyjama shorts and baggy men's t-shirt. Whilst she did this, Laxus turned away and stripped off his trousers so he lay under the duvet in his boxers, waiting for her.

She climbed into the bed, and he immediately turned and pulled her tightly into his arms, breathing in the sweet coconut scent of her shampoo.

'Laxus…'

'I need to hold you. Please.' The broken tone of his voice almost made her heart shatter, but she nodded with a sigh, and settled in for the long night ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

Laxus groaned as his stomach summersaulted inside him, and painfully raised an arm to rub at his pounding forehead. It was as he was rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up that he noticed something was pressed against his side.

He looked down, and was suddenly wide awake. Pressing herself into his side, fast asleep, was Fairy Tails residential Celestial Mage Lucy Heartfilia. Laxus felt his eyes widen as he remembered what happened last night, and swore quietly as she moaned quietly before tightening her arm around his waist as he tried to escape her grasp.

 _You have rules about this Laxus! You do not sleep with guild members! What the fuck?_ Slowly, Laxus managed to slide out from beneath the blonde woman's arm, before letting off a stream of curses as he saw their clothes lying scattered across the floor.

Laxus quickly located his shirt and pants, and angrily dressed himself, wincing every so often as his head complained at his speedy movements.

'Laxus…' He froze as she mumbled his name. Turning around, he saw her stretch out on the bed, her back arching slightly before she collapsed back under the pink duvet. Blinking rapidly to try and remove the hypnotic image from his mind, he threw his cloak over his shoulders and started to leave. Just as he reached the door though, he hesitated and looked back to the sleeping woman.

'Shit.' He said quietly, before walking back into the apartment and writing a single word across a sheet of paper, and, leaving it on the table along with a couple of jewels, he left; the door softly clicking shut behind him.

* * *

Lucy was livid. Usually on such a sunny day, her mood would be on a high. She'd smile and wave at the canal men, chat to the stall keepers and play with some of the children when she passed.

However, today Lucy was far too angry to even look at anyone. Clutched in one hand was a screwed up scrap of paper, and in the other was a fistful of jewels.

Erza was just coming out of a bakery with a specially ordered strawberry cake she'd been dreaming about all week when Lucy stormed past her. The redhead blinked in shock as her blonde friend stomped towards the guild, glaring daggers at any who stood in her way, and knew someone had truly angered her teammate.

Erza grinned darkly as she began following the devastation Lucy left in her wake. Not many people realised it, but the light of Fairy Tail had a much darker temper than anyone Erza knew, and whoever had roused this much of a reaction from her was in for a shock.

* * *

Lucy paused in front of the guild doors and took a deep breath, tightening her grip on the papers in her hands till her knuckles were pale white.

'I'll show him…' She muttered under her breath, before calmly opening the door and walking inside with a neutral expression on her face.

Natsu had smelt her behind the doors and was just about to run over to her when she entered, but then he noticed her expression. He froze, before silently retreating to hide behind a table, cowering with Happy and Gray who had also noticed their teammate's mood.

'What did you do flame brain? Why is Lucy mad?' Gray hissed, his eyes locked on the blonde as she walked calmly across the guild towards the bar.

'Me? What did _you_ do icicle butt? I haven't seen Luce since yesterday!'

'Lucy's maaaad…' Happy whispered, shaking slightly as he hugged a half eaten fish to his chest.

Lucy didn't even acknowledge her teammates as she stood at the bar, somehow restraining her seething fury as she caught Mira's attention.

'Hey Mira, don't suppose Laxus is in is he?' Mira blinked in shock at the blonde's question, before smiling brightly.

'Yes he got in not too long ago, why?' Lucy forced a smile onto her face.

'Oh no reason. Excuse me for one moment.' Lucy pushed away from the bar and began walking towards the stairs that led to the upper floor. With each step, her ire became more and more obvious, and her aura matched that of Erza's when she was in full on rage mode.

'Uh oh…' Happy shook in fear as he saw the demonic aura emanating from the usually friendly blonde, and flew to hide behind Lisanna who was watching her friend advance to the top floor, a worried expression on her face.

However Lucy noticed none of this. She didn't notice that the guild had gone silent as they realised it was neither Erza nor Mira whose satanic aura sent ice like chills through their bodies. She didn't see Master Makarov cheerfully exit his office, before freezing and immediately backtracking through the open door, muttering about paperwork needing to be done as he slammed and locked the thick oak door against the woman's evident anger.

Laxus was sitting behind his desk, clutching his head as he nursed a glass of the black, tar like substance that was Mira's miracle hangover cure when his office door slammed open so hard several thick encyclopaedia fell off of his bookshelf. His head jerked up and he glared vehemently at whoever had entered in such a manner, but was interrupted by his pounding brain, and instead groaned as his head fell back into his hands.

'What the fuck blondie?' He said, his voice hoarse as he massaged his temples.

'Really? That's what you have to say to me?' She said, her voice trembling with anger as her hands shook by her sides.

'What else do you want me to say?' He raised his head slightly to look at her, and noticing her barely contained rage, took a double take. He'd never seen blondie angry… ever.

'I expect you to apologise to my face for _this_!' Lucy finished the sentence in a shout as she threw the jewels in his face and slammed the note on the table in front of him. Laxus winced as the loud noises reverberated in his mind.

'What?' Laxus muttered, staring down at the droplets of his "cure" that had spilled over his desk.

'Excuse me? That's _all_ you have to say? I let you into _my home_ , and you leave me alone with a pathetic "sorry" on a scrap of paper, and some money? Like I'm some cheap whore?' Lucy was screaming at him, her fists clenched tightly and tears glittering in her chocolate brown eyes.

Laxus took in a sharp breath, his hangover flung to the back of his mind as he saw a single tear escape and trail down her cheek. He'd never seen Lucy cry before, and he really did not want to see it now, or ever. His stomach clenched tightly at the idea of him causing this, and he sighed as he stood and closed his office door before turning and pulling her tightly into a hug.

For a moment she tried to shove him away, but he tightened his arms around her, refusing to let her go. After a moment, she sniffed and her slim arms encircled his waist as she cried against his chest.

Leaning his chin on top of her head, he breathed in the soothing scent of her hair, before whispering softly to her.

'I'm sorry Lucy. I'm sorry I upset you, I'm a big idiot, and I'm sorry about last night…' Lucy shook her head and shoved him away again. This time he let her go and looked down into her reddened eyes.

'Laxus… we just slept. You were upset about Mira and didn't want to be alone-'

'How do you know that?' He snapped, his hands clenching into fists.

'It was pretty obvious to me… I know what it's like to see someone who you care about love someone else…' Laxus stared down at her as she looked away from him, hugging herself and rubbing her bare arms as she refused to look up at him.

Laxus sighed, before running a hand through his hair and awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

'How long have you known?' He said quietly, staring out of the window as he listened to her shaky breathing.

'A while. When she got ill… I was certain. You were terribly moody!' She said, giggling softly as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. He turned to stare into her eyes.

'Does anyone else-' Lucy shook her head.

'No. No one else knows.' Laxus nodded slowly, before turning away and sitting back behind his desk. He picked up the jewels and held them out to her. He could see her anger mounting once more, but quickly interrupted her before she exploded.

'It's not what you think. It's for the drinks. I remember you paid for my tab.' Lucy blinked in surprise before her face went bright red.

'Oh… sorry…' Laxus held up another hand to stop her.

'No, I should have explained on the note… I know what it looked like. I'm sorry, again…' He smiled at her as she took the money from his hands and started backing away to the door.

Before she left his office, she paused with her hand on the handle.

'Laxus… if you ever need to talk, or just have someone be there for you, I'm around, okay?' Laxus stared at her in shock, before smiling softly at the blonde and nodding.

'Thanks blondie.' He whispered as she gently closed the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy took a deep breath as the door clicked shut behind her, the scent of freshly fried bacon from the bar downstairs making her mouth water. Her hands were shaking, and she could feel the heat radiating from her face.

Looking down, she allowed her loose hair to hide her face as she tried to calm her trembling limbs.

'That man is bad for my heart.' She said, muttering to herself as she pushed herself off from the door of his office. Calmly and silently, she descended the stairs to the ground floor, shooting her usual cheerful smile towards her fellow guild members, and quelling their fear of her rage.

Mira looked at the blonde, and smiled softly as she placed a tall strawberry milkshake down on the bar. Lucy felt her entire body relax as she slipped onto the bar stool.

'Thanks Mira, sorry about earlier… it was a misunderstanding.' Lucy said before taking a deep gulp of her drink. The sweet taste assaulted her mouth, and she closed her eyes to relish the flavour.

'That's alright Lucy. Problem with Laxus?' Lucy winced and shook her head, stirring her milkshake absentmindedly with the straw.

'No. He's alright, it was me.' Mira frowned, and looked into her friends eyes with concern. Though Lucy had her usual smile plastered across her face, Mira was one of the few to know that it was all a charade. Mira saw through her disguise, straight through to the longing and sadness hidden in the depths of her hazel eyes.

'Lucy, are you sure you're-'

'Luce! Happy wants fish!' Natsu suddenly interrupted Mira's questioning as he threw an arm across his partners shoulders and encircled her neck in a hug. Lucy turned her face to grin at the pink haired dragon slayer and giggled.

'Okay Natsu, I have a whole salmon back at my place specially!' Happy, who had been hovering behind them, began to drool uncontrollably at the thought of such a massive fish waiting just for him.

'Awesome! Come on then Luce!' He released her neck and grabbed her hand, dragging her from the bar.

'Lucy-' Mira called out, her brows furrowed in concern.

'I'm fine Mira, I'll talk to you later!' Lucy said, waving to the barmaid as Natsu dragged her towards the guild doors.

As soon as the immense doors had shut behind them, Lucy stopped smiling and Natsu released her hand before walking calmly beside her.

'Thanks Natsu.' She said, staring down at the pavement as they walked, her hands knotted together.

'No problem Luce.' Natsu's voice was quiet and soft as he gently hugged his teammate into his side with one arm. 'You sure you're alright? Haven't see you that angry for a while.' Lucy giggled softly at his words, and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked, but there was no humour in the sound.

'I'm fine, it was a misunderstanding, that's all. He left money for his drinks, and I thought… well, he didn't explain it.' Natsu frowned at her words, and squeezed her arm gently, earning a small smile from the blonde.

'Okay as long as you're alright.' Lucy nodded, her fingers intertwining at her waist.

'Yeah, I'm good, just tired of it all.' She said, sighing before pulling out of Natsu's half hug and stretching her arms above her head.

'I know what you mean.' Lucy laughed at his grumbled words before skipping ahead of him and Happy.

'Hurry up, I still haven't had breakfast!' Natsu grinned before jogging to catch up to her as she ran and laughed ahead of him.

He knew she was changing the subject, but he also knew Luce better than anyone, and right now she needed a hug and a funny movie along with the company of her best friend rather than a conversation. He just had to make sure she knew he would be there, if ever she did want to talk.

* * *

Laxus massaged the bridge of his nose, squinting down at the form he clutched in one hand. The words had now become a blur of scribbled black text, merging into meaningless squiggles across the page.

Dropping the paper to his desk with a sigh, he shut his eyes and leant back in his chair, resting his head on the back and rubbing his face with both hands. Dropping his hands to the arm rests, he opened his eyes and stared up at the blank, white ceiling.

He'd shut himself away in his office all day, his only visitor being Bix with his breakfast, which remained untouched on the tray by the door.

So he wouldn't have to see _her_ at all, he'd thrown himself into completing his share of the paperwork, and for the first time in history he'd asked Gramps for more after finishing. He sat surrounded by completed forms piled precariously in towers behind him, the majority of which was damage bills for Natsu, Gray and Erza.

It was then that he heard a knock at his door. Shutting his eyes briefly and releasing a long, calming breath, he called for them to come in.

As soon as the door opened her caught her smell, raspberries and cinnamon. His eyes widened slightly before he managed to calm himself. He sat forwards and waited for her to enter. His eyes ate up her appearance in seconds; the familiar silver streaked hair with her fringe pulled up into a pony tail so she could see everything behind the bar, her radiant deep blue eyes that reminded Laxus of the evening sky, her slim waist emphasised by the skin tight red dress that she always wore.

'Mira, what can I do for you?' He said, his voice deep and calm, when internally his heart was hammering against his chest uncontrollably. Mira hesitated as she shut the door, a concerned look on her face, her brows furrowed slightly.

'Sorry for disturbing you Laxus, I just needed to talk to you for a moment.' Laxus inclined his head and gestured to the seat in front of his desk. Mira sat down with a small smile as she rested her hands in her lap. Laxus admired her slim, twig-like wrists, before forcing himself to look into her eyes and trying not to drown in their depths.

'What can I do for you?' She hesitated slightly, glancing away from him, before tightening her hands on her lap and meeting his solid gaze with resolve.

'I'm worried about Lucy. She seemed upset after seeing you earlier… she said she was fine but I _know_ her and she looked more upset than normal today-' Mira broke off suddenly, her eyes widening as she realised what she'd said.

'More upset then normal? She looks cheerful all the time to me.' Laxus said, frowning as he tried to recall when he'd actually seen blondie upset, and drawing a blank. Mira sighed, looking down at the floor.

'That's the point. She never shows how sad she really is, she doesn't want to be a bother or worry anyone. She's so used to bottling up her problems that it's just become second nature to her, but I can see it in her eyes. Normally it's just rent, or worrying about her spirits, but sometimes she just won't tell me… today is the saddest I've seen her since her Father died. I can't think of what's wrong. I was wondering if you'd know.' Laxus blinked in shock before shaking his head in confusion.

'No, I haven't got a clue why she'd be upset…' Laxus said, recalling what had happened between them in his office, before an idea sprang into his mind. 'I'll go check on her if you want Mira, try and find out what's bothering her.' Now it was Mira's turn to be shocked. Laxus had never offered to check on a guild member before, but he had changed a lot since Fantasia.

Inside her mind, Mira's inner matchmaker filed away this piece of information with undescribed glee, but her worry for Lucy overshadowed the images of blonde haired brown eyed babies… just about.

'If you could I'd owe you a lot Laxus!' Mira said, shooting the man a huge grin as she stood up. Laxus shook his head as he stood and swung his cloak over his shoulders, and smirked at her.

'Just think of it as a thank you for constantly replacing the whiskey in my drawer!' Mira frowned and tilted her head to one side.

'You keep whiskey in here?'

'Yeah, whenever I finish it you always replace it… don't you?' Mira shook her head at his question.

'Not me, what brand is it?'

'Golden Harbour.' Mira shook her head with a frown.

'Oh no, we don't stock that here, it's far too expensive! Cana wold drink us out of it in seconds if we had any of that! You should thank whoever's been giving you those, they're hard to get your hands on in Magnolia. If ever I do order a special batch I have to ship it from Caelum.' Laxus had no idea his favourite drink was so hard to get hold of, usually Freed bought him a bottle or two for his birthday and Christmas. Any other time he drank what was in his drawer.

'Yeah…' _Who the hell has been getting me that whiskey? It can't be Freed, he'd gush about it or mention it at least once… Bix is more likely to drink it himself and Ever always forgets I like this brand… So who?_

* * *

Lucy snuggled up to Natsu, sapping his body heat beneath her thick duvet. Usually she got unbearably hot and had to throw him out of the den they made, but her heating had broken down earlier in the day, and it was so cold clouds of vapour hovered in the air every time she let out a breath.

'Thanks for this Natsu.' Lucy said, her eyes locked on the lacrima screen as the film played out.

'No problem Luce, but I'm picking the next movie, can't deal with much more of this romantic stuff!' Lucy laughed before shoving him and returning her attention to Romeo and Juliet.

Lucy loved Shakespeare, and whatever play she watched always reflected her mood. Natsu had known which one she needed today, and set it up without her needing to say a word, before he cuddled up to her beneath the blanket fort they made every movie night.

It was during the final scene when there was a knock at her door. Lucy groaned in agitation, about to get up before Natsu pushed her back down and practically leapt out of the den.

'I'll get it!' Lucy giggled as he ran to the door. He always hated the end; he thought it was too sad and pointless after everything that had happened leading up to it. Snuggling deep into the blankets, Lucy smiled in content as she watched Juliet plunge the dagger into her heart so she could never be parted from the man she loved, and wished that she could find that kind of love during her life.

* * *

Natsu jerked open the door with a grin, before realising who it was. His smile faded and he stood up straight, staring at the man before him.

'What do you want?' Laxus had been surprised when Natsu had opened the door, but his harsh words angered the blonde slayer for some reason. Crossing his arms, he stared down the young man.

'I came to see blondie.'

'We're busy, talk to her tomorrow.' Natsu went to slam the door shut, but Laxus placed a hand in the way, stopping it dead.

'Don't you think you're being cruel? I thought you were dating the Strauss chick. Why do this to them both?' Natsu glared at the slayer before him, a look filled with such vehemence and disgust that Laxus was too shocked to reply to his next words.

'Her name is Lisanna, and you know _fuck all_ Dreyar. Now get lost, she doesn't want to see you right now.' Natsu shoved the man back and closed the door, locking it tightly.

Laxus stared at the door in front of him, frowning as he reviewed the encounter in his mind.

 _Why wouldn't blondie want to see me? I thought I apologised… what did I do?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Dear Readers,**

 **I want to apologise for the lateness of my updates. Over the past month I've had no internet access, and have struggled with work and preparation for my university courses. As such, my writing for FFNET has had to be put on hold and take a back seat to my education and work life.**

 **I shall continue with all of my stories at some point, I simply ask you to be patient with a busy, stressed out student who's trying to discover where her true literary talents lie.**

 **I would greatly appreciate your support, and any helpful advice and reviews you may leave me shall be taken on bored gratefully.**

 **I truly hope you enjoy the latest installment of Stay With Me, and am truly touched that you have so far found pleasure in my writing, and pray that you continue to do so.**

 **Yours,**

 **Neko xx**

* * *

Lucy groaned as she stretched beneath her thick pink comforter, slowly opening her eyes and blinking herself awake. Wincing at the light streaming through a small gap in the curtains and hitting her face, she sat up with a yawn.

Beside her from under the covers, a familiar snore permeated the silence, making her smile and shake her head, before she silently climbed out of the bed and entered her bathroom.

Stripping down, she climbed into her shower and stood under the hot spray of water, sighing in satisfaction as the steaming droplets made her body relax.

Lucy and Natsu had stayed up most of the night watching movies, with her falling asleep halfway through an action film Natsu had chosen. She vaguely remembered hot arms carrying her and placing her in bed, before climbing in after her and hugging her close to his chest through most of the night; till she got too hot and shoved him off of her.

Closing her eyes, Lucy stood under the stream of water and allowed her mind to wander.

 _His lips devoured her mouth in a passionate kiss, before he pulled away and pressed light kisses along her jaw before moving down to her neck, and nibbling on her earlobe. He groaned as her body strained to be closer to his, and moved so his lips and tongue brushed along her collarbone, making her moan as need clouded her mind._

 _'Mira…'_

Lucy's eyes shot wide open and she stepped back suddenly with a gasp, before letting out a little scream as her feet slipped from beneath her and she fell. Her arms tried to grab onto something to stop her fall, and only succeeded in ripping down the shower curtain and turning her body slightly so her cheekbone hit the edge of the bath tub.

'Fuck!' She said, clutching her face in pain as the water continued to run.

'Luce! You okay?' Natsu shouted through the door, before breaking through the locks and bursting into the room. 'Luce?' He knelt down on the floor and gently pulled her hands away from cradling her face. Pulling the shower curtain higher to cover her chest, Lucy whimpered as Natsu's fingers softly pressed against her face.

'How bad?' Lucy said, trying to smile but wincing as pain radiated from the right side of her face. Natsu grimaced and shook his head.

'You're gonna have a shiner in the next five minutes.' Lucy groaned, already feeling her eye starting to swell.

'Damn it.' She said, feeling tears welling up and sniffing to try and hold them back. If she hadn't remembered him she wouldn't have fallen…

'Luce, don't cry, please. You know I hate it when you cry.' Natsu said quietly, standing to turn off the shower, before picking up the pink fluffy towel that hung over the radiator. He held it up, waiting for her to step out of the bath, looking away so she could wrap the towel around herself. As soon as she was covered, he pulled her into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. 'Come on Luce, it's alright, I've got you.' Lucy trembled as tears escaped her eyes and soaked into his vest, before her arms raised to hug Natsu tighter to her.

'Sorry Natsu, I can't help it…'

'Luce.' He said, his own sadness evident in his tone. He knew that he could do nothing but hold her as she cried.

After what felt like an age, Lucy stopped crying and pulled away from Natsu, smiling her thanks.

'I'm okay. I'll be out in a minute.' Natsu smiled at her, wincing slightly at the black eye that now marred her face.

'Jeez. You better try cover that up or Mira's gonna go crazy on me thinking I did it!' Lucy laughed at his words, before shooing him out so she could get dressed.

Looking in the mirror, Lucy blinked in shock at the bruise that surrounded her right eye, and lifted a hand to prod at it before immediately regretting it as the pain that flared up at the contact was sharp and harsh.

'Well. You only have yourself to blame for this one Lucy.' She said to her reflection with a sigh.

Exiting the bathroom, she smiled when she saw Natsu standing in front of the stove looking clueless with piles of bacon in a pan. Shaking her head, she walked over and shoved him out of the way. Natsu grinned and scratched the back of his head ruefully.

'Sorry Luce…'

'Don't worry Natsu, I've got it. Where's Happy anyway? I thought he'd be here by now.' Natsu laughed, watching as Lucy fried the rashers of bacon.

'I don't know about that, he went to visit the Exceed village with Charle.' Lucy laughed and shook her head, piling the bacon on a plate.

'No need to explain anymore! I think everyone knows what he's like around Charle.' Natsu grinned at her words, pulling out a loaf of bread so he could start buttering the slices and preparing the sandwiches.

For a moment, they continued to work in silence. Then, Lucy took a deep breath and spoke, all the while staring down at the bacon frying in the pan.

'Natsu… I think I'm going to go on a bit of a trip. I don't feel like being in the guild right now, and I just need some space.' Natsu stared at her, trying to figure out why she felt she had to leave.

'Luce. I don't want you to go anywhere. I don't think you should go anywhere. This isn't your problem, it's his. But if that's what you want, I'm not going to stop you. Where are you going and how long for?' Lucy smiled. She knew he'd hate the fact that she wanted to go away for a while, but she also knew he'd be on her side no matter what.

'I don't know. I really just want to go see Mum and Dad. I won't be away for more than a couple of days, but I'll call you if there's any problems. I just… need to be alone for a bit.' Natsu sighed, running a hand through his messy pink hair.

'Okay. I don't like it, but okay. You call me as soon as there's a hint of trouble, or else. You got it Lucy?' That Natsu had used her full name showed just how serious he was.

'Of course I will Natsu, now let's eat lunch quickly, I need to pack and get the train.'

* * *

Laxus stared at the empty bottle of whisky on his desk, listing everyone who might have placed it in his desk, but only coming up with the names of those he'd already eliminated.

Yanking open the drawer, he found it was still empty, so whoever had been replacing it hadn't noticed it was empty.

Giving up on even thinking about who the mystery booze supplier was, he instead turned his mind to thinking about Natsu's reaction to him last night.

He'd known Natsu since he was a little brat, and never before had the fire dragon slayer looked at him in the way that he did the night before. Laxus knew that it had something to do with Lucy. Natsu was overly protective of the blonde, and had been since he'd first dragged her into the guild.

 _"You know fuck all Dreyar… She doesn't want to see you…"_

Laxus swore, and slammed his fists on his desk, making the empty bottle shudder before settling to a stand-still.

'Damned blondie…' He said, glaring at his white knuckled fists, before relaxing them with a sigh and leaning back in his chair to stare at the ceiling.

Trying to navigate the inner workings of a woman's mind was near impossible for him.

It was then that he heard a familiar voice shouting downstairs. Laxus sat straight and glared at the door, before standing and striding over to the balcony to watch Natsu shove past Gray and begin the first fight of the day.

Laxus watched Natsu's every move, his eyes not leaving the flash of pink hair that occasionally emerged from the tangle of limbs as more and more guild members got dragged into the ruckus.

Finally upon Erza's arrival, the fight was broken up, and Gray and Natsu sported two large bumps on the tops of their heads for the next few hours.

Laxus's gaze followed Natsu as he walked over to blondies usual seat at the bar, before he collapsed on it with a sigh.

'Where is she flamebrain?' Laxus said quietly, knowing Natsu had heard him when he heard his own muttered reply.

'None of your damn business lightning prick. Leave her alone.'

'You don't tell me, I tell Mira you're cheating on Lisanna.' At his words, Natsu jerked upright and glared towards Laxus, his fists clenched tightly against the bar making the wood smoke slightly.

'As I said Dreyar, you know fuck all.' It was then that Lisanna herself bounced up to Natsu and threw her arms around his neck, giggling as she nuzzled into his neck. Natsu sent a final glare towards Laxus, before grinning and turning to pull the small Strauss into his lap, before lifting her and carrying her across the guild away from Laxus.

Laxus frowned as he watched the pair, confused at Natsu's behaviour. It was obvious from looking at him with Lisanna that he adored the girl. So why was he with Lucy at the same time?

'Oi, Sparky.' Laxus turned at the gruff voice and saw Gajeel standing a few feet away, his pierced arms crossed and his emotionless gaze fixed on Laxus.

'What d'you want scrap metal?' Laxus stared him down, waiting for Gajeel to speak.

'I dunno what happened between you and bunny, but don't you fucking hurt her. Got it?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Don't play dumb with my Dreyar. I heard your little conversation with flamebrain just then. Natsu don't talk to anyone like that unless they hurt bunny. So whatever you did, you find her and apologise, before I have to step in.' Gajeel started to walk past him towards the staircase, but Laxus grabbed his arm as he reached him, making him tense and stop in his tracks.

'Is that a threat metal head?' Gajeel turned his head slowly to stare straight into Laxus's enraged eyes, not even flinching as small sparks of lightning shot across the blonde's skin.

'No. That's a promise.'

'Why do you even care?' Gajeel sneered at his words.

'Bunny has always been good to me. I owe her one. So if you're gonna hurt her just back the fuck off now. You might have beaten me at Fantasia, but I swear to Mavis right now, I will not lose should you hurt Lucy.' Gajeel shook Laxus's grip from his wrist and retreated to his dark corner of the guild.

Laxus frowned, confused at what was going on. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't done a thing to upset the damned woman, so why was everyone acting as though he'd fucked her over?

Turning to face Mira, Laxus ordered a double scotch on the rocks, and swigged at the burning liquid as molten fire slowly slid down his throat. It was as he was drinking that he heard Erza talking to Natsu.

'Natsu, where is Lucy? I wished for her to accompany me to inspect a new cake shop opening in town today.' Natsu gulped at Erza's glare, before replying.

'She's gone out of town for a few days-'

'Where? And why the sudden decision to leave without informing me?' Erza's aura darkened to a malevolent level of darkness as she closed in on Natsu, whose face was pale with a tinge of grey to it.

'She… she went to visit her Dad's grave in Acalypha. She wanted to be alone, took the train an hour ago.' Erza blinked before stepping back with a frown.

'Unusual. Have you upset her in some manner, Natsu?' Erza's glare was overpowering in its degree of hatred, making Natsu quake slightly as he shook his head erratically.

'Hmm. Very well. Inform me immediately upon her return.' Erza commanded, her mind wandering to the cake shop she'd mentioned before.

However, Laxus didn't care any more about listening to her describe the luscious combination of strawberry and caramel in a cake.

Downing the remnants of his scotch, he stood and exited the guildhall, after Natsu became preoccupied with insulting Gray and throwing a chair at the ice mage.

He was going to find out what he'd done to upset the blonde, whether he had to drag it out of her or not. Mira was worried about her, and he had a feeling deep in his gut that it was his fault.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to those wishing me luck with life, it's been a tough few months for various reasons, and I've had some awful writers block! BUT! Here is the next chapter for Stay With Me, and I hope you enjoy it!**

 **I know I tend to write short chapters, but this is usually because I am quick with updates (for those of you who followed me through the writing of Lucy's Fury, you'll get what I mean! ;) ) but lately it's been harder and harder for me to find the time to update so regularly.**

 **So, here is a pretty long chapter for you all, hopefully it'll satisfy you till the next update. Sorry once more for being so late, but please ocntinue to be patient with me!**

 **Looking forward to your reviews!**

 **Yours,**

 **Neko xx**

* * *

Lucy hated the looks she received as she sat reading on the train. Normally, she was looked at because of how she was dressed, but today people were just staring at the black eye that obliterated her face.

No matter how much make up she used, she couldn't cover it, and the stares it was garnering were becoming annoying. Looking up from her book, she shot a glare at a skinny guy who was openly assessing her as though she were under a freaking microscope.

At least he had the decency to blush and look away… for two minutes.

Lucy sighed, closing her book and turning to look out of the window, watching the scenery fly by as the train rattled onwards.

Lucy wasn't quite sure why she wanted to leave Magnolia for a while. She only knew that she needed to escape for a couple of days and talk to her parents.

She sighed, feeling the tears gather in her eyes, and angrily wiped them away before hissing as she aggravated her eye.

Just seeing him was difficult, but knowing how deeply he was in love with the Strauss sibling hurt more than his complete obliviousness to her feelings. After all the time she'd spent around him, laughing with him, teasing him, watching him… she'd expected him to have noticed something; but of course, he only had eyes for her.

Leaving Magnolia for a few days and putting some distance between them was the only way she felt she could recover enough to fight through each day at the guild… seeing him send that smile towards someone other than herself was just too much at the moment. She hoped by leaving she'd get over it enough to face Fairy Tail once more.

Sighing once more, Lucy felt the night she'd spent watching movies catch up to her, and slowly her eyes slipped shut, and her head rested against the window as the train trundled along.

* * *

Laxus stared up at the train timetable, scanning the list for the next train to Acalypha. Sure, he could teleport himself there in seconds with his lightning and avoid the train, but it was an unnecessary drain on his magic and Gramps had received complaints from the Mayors of towns about his preferred method of transportation. Apparently it sometimes caused power surges in the area in which he arrived, and the council were tired of paying for new cables.

Laxus grumbled under his breath, fumbling with the small bottle of tablets Wendy had fashioned for him under the utmost secrecy. Like all dragon slayers, he got motion sickness. Not half as bad as Natsu, but bad enough that he despised the fact he had to take medication for it. His whole life had revolved around being strong, and this weakness was far too… normal, for him to accept.

It was as Laxus was approaching the ticket office that he realised something wasn't quite right.

The man behind the desk was animatedly speaking to another employee, shaking his head, mouth wide open in disbelief and his skin was deathly pale.

Laxus immediately focused on their conversation, removing the soundpods that had been covering his sensitive ears from exterior noise.

'I can't believe it! It just left an hour ago…' Laxus felt his stomach drop.

 _Didn't flamebrain say blondie left…_

'It didn't even reach Acalypha and nobody knows how it happened! We just got the call from a passenger via lacrima. We need to get some medics out there now!' Laxus had been striding towards the talking station employees, but as the words registered in his mind, he froze.

 _Acalypha… Medics…Blondie…_

'What happened to the train?' His voice was barely recognisable to his own ears as he towered over the two men, who were now frozen in fear and sweating bullets at the sudden appearance of one of the strongest mages of Magnolia.

'It… there was an accident. It was derailed half an hour away from Acalypha.' Laxus clenched his jaw, his fists tightening around the edge of the desk till it snapped under the pressure, causing one of the men to squeak in surprise.

'How bad?' It took every ounce of his focus to spit the words out between his lips, his barely restrained panic shown through his shaking muscles.

'We don't know yet… it'll take hours for us to get there, and the communication lacrima at Acalypha is damaged-' Laxus had heard enough. Before the man even finished his explanation, he was blinded by the brightest light he'd ever seen, and Laxus Dreyar disappeared with a clash of thunder.

* * *

Lucy gasped out a breath, swallowing the build-up of saliva and licking her dry lips, before reaching up to rub away the blood that dribbled down her forehead towards her mouth.

All around her, all she could hear were screams of pain and fear. In the distance, probably a few carriages down, she could hear a child screaming for her mother, begging her to wake up. Lucy could feel her heart stutter at the desperate plight, and clenched her teeth before turning her body slowly to reach the keys at her waist.

As soon as she brushed her hand over the key she wanted, Virgo appeared before her. The spirits eyes widened in shock as she looked down at her master, her friend. As she opened her mouth to speak and stepped forward, Lucy cut her off before a sound passed by her lips.

'Virgo, I need you to go and help the civilians evacuate the crash site, please, just do as I ask.' Virgo looked into the caramel brown eyes that had become filled with tears, and knew her own sapphire blue orbs mirrored hers.

'Yes, hime.' She bowed low, the broken shackles at her wrists rattling as she straightened and ran to accomplish her princesses request.

Lucy watched as the maid spirit ran to do her bidding, smiling as the child's screams quieted to manageable sobs. Virgo had obviously managed to calm the child and take her away from the carnage surrounding her.

Looking about her, Lucy winced at what she saw. Her carriage had rolled over and over, the top being torn in half as a result. Only the passengers like herself who had strapped themselves in to their seats were left in the carriage, though many had managed to stumble their way out; leaving the others trapped as their concussed and addled brains tried to make sense of what had occurred.

The unmistakable scent of blood assaulted her nostrils as she coughed painfully, before relaxing into the cushioned seat. She closed her eyes, and focused on channelling her magic to Virgo, not allowing the sleep she craved to catch up to her.

Biting her lip, she reached for her keys once again, before sending a magical pulse to the spirit she wanted to see most at that moment.

In a flash, Loke was by her side on his knees, staring at her in shock.

'Hey Loke, hope I didn't disturb you…'

'Lucy-'

'Stop. I need you to help Virgo. Get all of the trapped passengers away from the train, please, for me. I'll be fine for a while staying right here, okay?' She saw him clench his jaw, and watched as a tear slipped down his face. Ignoring her pain, she reached out and cupped his cheek, smiling as he pressed his face into her hand before turning to kiss her palm and cradling her small hand between both of his.

'I'll be back as soon as I can. Promise me you'll stay right here.' He stood and stared into her eyes, angrily wiping away the tears he'd allowed to fall. She smiled up at him, before replying.

'I won't move Loke.' He refused to acknowledge the lack of "I promise" in the sentence, choosing instead to believe her words, before running to release the passengers able to walk from their restraints.

Lucy sighed as she felt the magical drain on her battered body, before looking down at the source of all her pain and laughing quietly, before wincing at the pain it caused her. Looking up through the torn ceiling of the carriage, and staring up at the clear sky above her, she smiled.

'Well Mamma, didn't expect this today… definitely has taken my mind off of him-'Her words were suddenly cut short as she started coughing uncontrollably, unable to breathe as blood sprayed from her mouth, dribbling down her chin in a crimson rivulet. Lucy reached up and wiped the blood from her face, staring at it staining her fingertips, before tears finally slipped form her eyes. 'I didn't want to see you so soon Mamma… I don't want to leave my family behind. Or him… I can't leave him, not yet. He loves me, I know it, he just doesn't yet-'She was cut off by another cough that forced her to bend forwards, making her scream in pain through the sobs.

* * *

Laxus landed on the tracks and turned to see utter and complete carnage before him. The carriages of the train had been strewn across the fields like a child's toy train set on the ground. People were wandering everywhere, blood dripping from various parts of their bodies, with dazed expressions. Many were running away in fear, stumbling and falling on the grass, whilst some turned and helped others climb from the wreckage.

Laxus's eyes scanned the people making their way towards the tracks, searching desperately for the blonde woman he knew, before he caught sight of a familiar maid and ginger womanizer.

 _If they're here she won't be far behind._

It was then that he heard her scream, and both of the spirits suddenly disappeared in a shower of black light.

The relief he'd felt at their appearance was quickly replaced by a suffocating fear. Without even realising, he was sprinting across the field, using all of his draconic abilities to reach the origin of the scream.

As he got closer to the wreckage, he realised that she was inside one of the more damaged carriages, the ones that had taken the brunt of the damage. One of which had been severed in half by the trains engine as it had rolled and flipped over itself.

'Lucy!' He shouted, panic and fear making his voice shake as he called her name.

'Lax…us…' He heard her rasping voice as she coughed out his name. Instantly, he turned and his eyes locked on the carriage she was trapped in; the one that was supporting another carriage diagonally across its roof, the debris and metal groaning under the weight about to collapse at any second.

Quickly, Laxus ran around the carriages, searching for a place to get inside. His heart pounded in his chest and the blood hammered through his ears as he heard her restrained whimpers from inside the machine.

Jumping up on top of the carriage, he dropped inside through a huge tear in the roof, jerking his head to his left as he smelt her familiar coconut shampoo and the unique smell of honey that always emanated from her skin, only they were masked by the fresh smell of her blood.

'Lucy!' He called out as he clambered over the luggage that was littered across the carriage corridor, along with torn up shreds of metal and splintered wood from the luggage racks.

'Laxus…' He turned and finally saw her. But what he saw made him want to vomit.

She was smiling up at him with a massive black eye, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth, and dried tear trails staining her cheeks. Her skin was a pallid grey colour, but what really made Laxus's body shake in fear for her life, was the long metal pole that had been the bar that held the luggage in place above passengers heads. It had been torn from the roof, and was now impaling the small celestial mage to the seat, piercing straight through the lower right of her abdomen.

Blood soaked her skirt and legs, soaking into the seat beneath her, staining the dark blue material a shade of crimson purple.

'Fuck blondie…' Somehow he broke free from his shock and knelt beside her, stroking her hair back from her forehead. She closed her eyes and lent her head back, taking short gasping breaths, making the pole sticking out of her inch deeper into her body.

'Sorry Laxus… fell asleep… dark mages attacked… engine…' She gasped in pain before coughing. Laxus held her body still as she hacked up blood, clenching his jaw in absolute fury towards the people who had caused this, and trying to hold back his panic as she slumped into his grip.

'It's okay blondie, I'll get you out of here, I promise.' Lucy laughed at his words, forcing herself to sit back and ignore the agony rippling through her abdomen at the slight movement.

'Don't make promises… you can't keep… to a celestial mage, Laxus.' He ground his teeth together at her words and glared, before cupping her face in both of his hands and gently pulling her to look at him.

'Trust me, Lucy. You're going to be fine.' She stared into his eyes, recognising the determination and iron clad will in them, and her heart shattered. Tears slid from her eyes unrestrained as she whispered softly to him.

'Say it again…' He frowned in confusion, his thumbs absentmindedly caressing her cheeks. 'Say… my name.' He smiled, and it seemed to open up his face. The harsh bone structure Lucy had admired from afar was softened as his lips slipped into the expression she had always longed for him to direct at her.

'Lucy. You are going to be fine. I swear.' She smiled back at him, nodding her head slightly; forgetting about the pain she felt.

'Okay.'

'I need you to stay still, okay? I've got to go get Wendy so she can heal you when I pull this out, got it?' She trembled at the idea of the pole being yanked from her insides, but nodded, gritting her teeth in determination.

Laxus stood, before looking down at her shaking body. Wordlessly he removed his cloak and encircled her inside its thick folds. Ignoring the blood, he tucked it in as much as he could to keep her warm.

'I'll be right back, stay calm and don't use any more magic, you hear me?' His voice was stern, and Lucy almost didn't detect the shaky undertone.

'Okay.' He jerked out a nod before turning to clamber back out of the carriage, not wanting to lightning teleport with so much metal surrounding him.

Lucy watched him as he left, staring at the way he effortlessly leapt out of the roof of the broken carriage, before inhaling the smell of pine needles that clung to his cloak.

She knew he'd left when she heard the thunder clash outside, and it was then that she released the tears that she'd somehow managed to hide form him.

When she'd heard his voice, she felt hope creep up on her. If anyone could fix something, or someone, so broken it would be him. But she knew the truth, and all she had wanted was to cling to him and stop him from leaving for a single second.

'Laxus… come back… stay with me- please-' Her voice cracked on a sob, and she dropped her head down so the fur lining of the cloak tickled her face.

* * *

Laxus appeared outside of the front of the guildhall in seconds, and burst through the doors, slamming them back so hard they broke from their hinges and remained implanted into the wall. Being used to loud noises from their more destructive members, he wasn't even spared a glance, except by the Thunder God Legion, who knew something was wrong with their usually composed leader.

'Wendy!' He shouted, his voice obliterating the usual chatter of the guild members. It was then that they paused to look, and saw blood covering his hands.

Natsu wrenched his head away from Lisanna's neck, sniffing before his face went dark all of a sudden, and he shoved Lisanna behind him.

'Where's Lucy?' His voice was quiet and emotionless as he stared down the lightning slayer.

Laxus narrowed his eyes momentarily at the pink haired teen, before turning to focus on Master Makarov.

'There's been a train crash, Lucy's hurt. I need Wendy now.' Natsu's face went pale all of a sudden, and gasps were heard all around the hall.

Wendy was all of a sudden running down the stairs from the infirmary, Carle flying behind her as she sprinted to stand before Laxus out of breath.

'Let's go.' Laxus nodded sharply, grabbing the kids hand and leading her outside.

'Send some reinforcements Gramps, there's a lot of injured, and the dark guild that did this may be around still.' Without waiting for his Grandpa's acknowledgment, he picked up Wendy and disappeared.

For a moment, the guild was frozen in shock, before the silence was broken by a teary eyed Happy.

'Natsu, is Lushy going to die?' Everybody turned to face the sniffing exceed, their face showing the same level of worry. The amount of blood covering Laxus's hands had been worrying, but the way he'd looked set it to another level.

His eyes were wide with panic, and his body sparked, showing the lack of control he had over his magic.

Natsu turned to his partner, his lips pressed into a thin line.

'Don't say that Happy. Luce is gonna be fine. Laxus and Wendy will be there soon.' He ruffled his friend's head, before turning to face Gray and Erza who had appeared behind him. 'We've got a dark guild to hunt.' He muttered, his voice a low as he growled, sending shivers down the spines of the guild members.

'Alright brats! You heard Laxus! I want the fastest members on their way now, which means you Jet! Carry Levy along with some more medical supplies. Reedus! Transport Team Natsu using your Pict Magic! Gajeel! Accompany them, they're going to need help with debris. Everyone else, start running!' The members scrambled into action, following the orders of their master. One of their own was in trouble, and Fairy Tail never failed to save a member of their family.

* * *

As soon as Laxus landed on the grass, he was sprinting with Wendy still in his arms, his jaw clamped shut as he jumped on top of the trains and dropped into her carriage. He only placed Wendy down when he was beside Lucy's prone form.

His heart stopped as he realised she wasn't moving, before he heard the almost imperceptible gasping sound of her breaths.

He ripped his cloak away from her to reveal the extent of her blood loss to the sky dragon slayer, who had gone pale at the sight of the wound before her.

She shook her head, her hands trembling as she reached out before freezing, unsure of what she should do first, before resolve made her set her shoulders back.

'Laxus, when I give the word, pull it out.' He nodded sharply, and grabbed the pole in his hands, preparing to pull and thanking Mavis that the blonde woman was now unconscious so she wouldn't be aware of what he was about to do.

Wendy sat beside her friend, breathing deeply as she gathered as much magic as she could in her hands, before sharply nodding towards Laxus.

With one sharp tug, he tore the pole from the blonde's prone body, and felt his heart shatter as a scream of agony like he'd never heard before cracked the air.

Opening his eyes, he saw blood pouring from her stomach like a crimson waterfall.

Wendy quickly placed her hands over the wound, the green aura of her healing magic pulsing as the red liquid covered the child's hands. Wendy bit her lip as she forced more magic into the woman's body, the green light going white as the torrent of blood began to slow gradually.

'Laxus, I need you to go to Porlyusica and get her ready for Lucy-san's arrival. She's still severely injured… its taking everything for me just to stop the bleeding let alone heal her.' For a moment, Laxus just stood there dumbly, watching as the blonde's breathing seemed to slow and become even shallower in front of his eyes.

His stomach clenched in fear as he realised, she was dying. Nobody could survive this, not someone as small and delicate as her…

He felt his lip tremble and his vision blurred as his brain tried to picture what life would be without her, and he found it impossible.

He'd never noticed before how much he enjoyed her skipping up to the bar and chatting with him, arguing with him, laughing at him. When she entered the room her looked forward to their verbal sparring sessions… and after that night with her, he couldn't remove the taste of strawberries from his lips and the silky texture of her skin against his fingertips.

'Laxus! Go, now.' Wendy's voice snapped him out of his stupor and he stumbled as he dropped the bloodied pole to the ground, before turning and whispering to the girl.

'Please… don't let her die.' He waited long enough to see her nod slightly, before leaving to do as she'd asked and prepare the antisocial doctor of Fairy Tail for the woman's arrival.

* * *

Gajeel groaned as the carriage Reedus had drawn for himself and Team Natsu seemed to bounce into the air, and he swore right then that the Pict mage would taste his iron as soon as his feet were on solid ground.

The carriage was keeping up with Jet with ease, and Gajeel was able to glare at how tightly Levy gripped onto Jet's back; the rucksack carrying the extra medical supplied bouncing on her back with each step the man took. Gajeel then looked down and saw the man's hands holding her slim thighs, and growled.

'Focus Gajeel. You've got to help Lucy.' Erza glared at him, and he turned so as not to see Jet and Levy.

Erza's words made him remember the reason why he was there. He had to help deal with the debris, and to help bunny girl.

At the idea of her being injured, he felt his stomach turn. Bunny had been good to him, even after all he'd done, and he liked to think she trusted him enough to have him as a protector when the time came. She was like an annoying younger sister to him, teasing and laughing to lighten the mood on one of his bad days, and she was there when the flashbacks became too much. She'd never told anyone that she'd found him curled up in a ball in the woods, crying like a pathetic weakling as his past overwhelmed him.

She'd just held him and told him it would be alright till the shaking stopped and he was back in the present again. She'd never told anyone, and he owed her for that for eternity. She even made him promise to call her if it happened again. Just having her there made it easier; he didn't want Shrimp knowing about his weakness, even though he knew she wouldn't think less of him for it, he despised the idea of her seeing him like that.

Erza was right. He had to focus on Lucy now, he owed her that much.

'I can see the crash site now!' Jet shouted from outside. Gajeel stuck his head out of the window and felt his eyes widen in shock. What had once been a train, now looked like an enlarged version of the meals Mira set before him every morning in the guild.

Twisted hunks of metal lay across the field, the smoking remnants of the machine making the sky look black.

He saw Laxus's lightning, and the mage jump onto a carriage before disappearing inside through the roof.

 _That must be where Bunny is…_

The carriage jerked to a stop and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, dropping Natsu to the floor. Immediately he was upright and sniffing the ground, searching for the scent of the people who'd cause the accident.

Scattered across the fields were injured passengers, some sitting, some wandering about aimlessly, and a select few who had kept their wits about them were helping the injured out of the damaged train carts.

'Levy! Over here!' Wendy had appeared on top of the train and waved urgently to the bluenette. Jet looked up at the girl and ran over with Levy, Gajeel hot on his heels.

'Wendy! How's Lu-chan? Is she okay?' Levy called out, anxiety and worry making her voice shake. Wendy's hesitation spoke louder than her silence. Levy, realising the seriousness of the situation, clenched her jaw tightly and reached out for Gajeel to get her on top of the carriage.

Following Wendy as she navigated the expansive amount of luggage and debris, the two Fairy Tail mages quickly got to where Lucy was. Levy almost vomited from the blood that surrounded her best friend, and turned to bury her face in Gajeel's stomach. Gajeel put an arm around Levy as he stared at the tiny blonde woman he'd come to think of as a sister.

A shirtless Laxus sat beside the blonde, her head resting on his lap as he ran a hand through her hair, and pressed his shirt to her stomach. Gajeel saw how he looked at her, and narrowed his eyes. He could see the fear and worry in his fellow slayers eyes, but he could tell Laxus hadn't yet realised why he was so concerned for the mage.

'Levy, I need those bandages now. I tried to stop the bleeding as much as I could, but I had to focus on healing her internal organs. Her liver was impaled and one of her ribs had pierced her lung. She's still losing blood.' Gajeel nudged Levy, and stared into her watery eyes.

'No time for tears Shrimp, Bunny needs ya right now.' Levy sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes and turning to face Wendy before taking the rucksack off her back.

'I just grabbed everything from the cupboards, I wasn't certain what you'd need.' Wnedy rummaged in the bag and pulled out rolls of bandages.

'This is great, thanks Levy-chan.' Wendy sent a comforting smile towards the script mage, and quickly returned to Lucy's side.

Levy took a step forwards, but froze as Laxus turned to face her, his eyes flashing with anger as he released a feral growl. Gajeel quickly pulled Levy back, and watched as Laxus seemed to calm before facing Lucy again and acting as though nothing had happened.

Though Wendy was just as shocked as Levy, she knew she had a job to do, and focused on bandaging Lucy while Laxus carefully lifted her into a sitting position so the material could be wound around her back.

'What was that about?' Levy hissed at Gajeel as he held her back.

'Dragon thing. Don't take it personally shrimp, lightning idiot over there is just following instincts. Come one, I've got to break through this carriage wall so we can get bunny out easier.' Levy sent a final glance over at her unconscious blonde friend, wishing she could be beside her, but followed Gajeel to an area where he could eat his way through the metal wall.

* * *

Laxus watched Wendy like a hawk, her slim fingers and tiny hands seeming to fly around the blonde's body as she wrapped the bandage tightly.

'Laxus-san, I'm going to need you to carry her out. Gajeel-san is making a doorway further down the carriage so we won't have to take her through the ceiling. You have to teleport her to the guild, she needs stitches as soon as possible. Porlyusica-sama should be there by now, okay?' Laxus grunted and nodded as the girl finally tied off the bandage. There was a lump deep in his throat that seemed to stop him from speaking.

All he could do was look at her as she lay there, prone and unmoving.

Carefully, he manoeuvred himself so he knelt beside her, and slid his arms beneath her. Lifting her form the seat, he felt how light she was, how breakable and delicate she felt in his arms. It made him wonder how her heart still beat away in her chest after such a huge amount of blood loss.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the depressing thoughts, he slowly lifted her till he was upright and could walk down the train compartment, holding her as close to his chest as he could without causing her pain.

With more caution than he'd ever allowed himself in his life, he navigated his way down the carriage to the hole Gajeel had munched into the side of the train. He frowned as the iron slayer seemed to back away with the blue haired bookworm behind him so Laxus had enough space to get to the exit. He seemed to be wary of Laxus, but the lightning slayer could see the worry he held for the woman in his arms.

'Go get bunny back home, fast.' Laxus nodded, before stepping out of the carriage, the woman's celestial keys jingling against her hip. The image of her spirits seeming to splutter out of existence reminded him of how close she'd come to death, and made him walk quicker away from the metal surroundings so he could safely transport her beck to the guild.

Just as he got far enough away and was about to teleport, he saw Team Natsu staring at the woman in his arms with identical expressions of worry.

'Oi! Flamebrain.' Lacus called out to Natsu who had been sniffing the area by the train tracks. The pink haired boy turned around, his eyes locking on Lucy's body, before meeting Laxus's gaze. 'You find the bastards who caused this, don't tell me.' Natsu nodded and grinned.

'You think there'd be enough left for you after we're done anyway?' Laxus smirked and nodded his head towards the group, before channelling his magic and vanishing in a flash of light.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Guys! Again, very sorry for the late update. Exams are back, as well as coursework, and I have a job taking up a lot of my evenings too, so I have had no time for a long while for writing!**

 **But I know I left it at a pretty horrible cliffhanger, so here you are, an update from Neko!**

 **I really hope you enjoy! :) xx**

 **EDIT: I've fixed a couple of mistakes pointed out by my trusty reviewers! I truly appreciate any comments about improving my writing, or just letting me know I've made a type or inaccuracy. I try to make my writing as accurate as possible and do put in research into things I don't know enough about, but if I've missed something during editing or made a mistake, please do let me know! Thank youuuu xxx :)**

* * *

Natsu watched as Laxus disappeared, not even wincing at the blinding lightning, before his grin evaporated. Turning, he saw the solemn looks on his team's faces, their sadness at Lucy's suffering overshadowed by their anger towards the perpetrators.

'We've got some mages to hunt.' Erza said, one hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, her jaw clenched.

'Let's go.' Natsu said, already running towards the origins of a sulphurous odour that had stood out to him as soon as he'd arrived.

'Gajeel, Levy and Jet are staying back to help with the wreckage.' Happy called out, having informed the others where the team was headed.

'Thanks Happy.' Natsu called out, slowing slightly to gain a better bearing on the scent trail.

'Happy, fly up high and be look out, let us know where the enemy are, but stick to the clouds for cover.'

'Aye!' Happy nodded to Erza, before shooting off into the sky.

'We're lucky it's overcast today, it'll be hard for them to see him.' Gray said, watching the cat hovering above them.

'Found anything Natsu?' Natsu nodded at Erza's question, leading the others through the trees.

'Only three mages, one specialising in explosives. Probably how they derailed the train, I thought I could smell gunpowder.'

'Yeah, they must have set a bomb on the tracks that would blow as the train passed.' Gray said, peering about them warily.

'Agreed. What about the other two Natsu?' Natsu glanced at Erza, seeing a plan developing in her mind.

'One smells a bit like Juvia, so I'm assuming water magic, and the other smells like bleach, so probably a poison specialist. Nothing like Cobra though, he's not as strong.'

'Okay. Gray, you take the water mage. Your ice will be the best to combat her. Natsu, go for the explosives expert, you can have a meal to power yourself up. I'll take the other one.' She said, requipping her Holy Hammer. The huge weapon dwarfed her, but she easily handled it so it caused no disturbance amongst the wood. Gray and Natsu nodded, before they all froze at Natsu's sudden stillness.

'They're over there.' He pointed to their right, his ears picking up the muffled sounds of their conversation.

'Is that really all we had to do to be let in?'

'That was piss easy!'

'I know right? They really didn't bother with much security considering what they were carrying.'

Natsu growled, his eyes flashing red as he slowly advanced on the voices. Gray and Erza exchanged confused looks, before finally being able to hear the mages conversation.

'I thought you said there was at least one mage on there? Must have been pretty damn weak if they didn't even try to stop us!'

'Yeah, probably some low level rune mages. No one person would have given off that amount of magical energy and _not_ try to confront us.'

'Whatever! We got the gold. That's our fee and proof that we're loyal to Poseidon's Gate.'

'You got that right.' All three of the mages laughed, cackling like a swarm of seagulls.

Natsu had heard enough. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he jumped forward, immediately punching the closest mage with a fire encased fist.

'You bastards… hurt… Luce.' Scales began to bubble up from beneath his skin, creeping down his face, neck and arms as flames engulfed his fists. The mage who had smashed into a tree slowly stood, shaking his head before locking hate filled eyes with Natsu.

'Who the fuck are you?' He spat out, crouched and ready for a fight, small bombs held in his hands as he prepared to throw.

'Who are we?' Gray stepped out from the trees, making the enemy mages jump. 'We're here to collect.'

'Collect what?' One mage said, squaring up the Gray, water swirling around his fist.

'Collect on the pain that you caused a member of our family.' Erza finally stepped out from the shadows of the trees, her eyes burning with rage as she approached the final enemy.

'Shit. Man, that's… that's Erza! Titania of Fairy Tail-'

'That's right. Now, are you going to be a good dark mage and surrender, or do I have to beat it out of you? Please, pick the second option.' Erza's voice was deep and calm as she swung her hammer, preparing for battle.

'Why give them a choice? They didn't give Lucy one.' Gray muttered, moving his stance and placing his hands together, a cold mist flowing from his palms and covering the floor.

'Ice prick said it Erza. Let's get this over with.' Natsu grinned, his hair creating a shadow over his face as the dark mages screams filled the wood, only heard by the birds and the creaking silence of the trees.

* * *

As soon as Laxus touched down outside the guildhall, he was already running through the wide open doors, a path clearing in front of him as every mage backed out of his way. He took the steps leading up to the infirmary three at a time, his long stride devouring the ground beneath him.

Mira watched nervously as he ran past her, not sparing her a glance. She nibbled on her lip with worry and felt her stomach seize as she spotted a stream of blood had been left in his wake. She lifted a shaking fist up to her mouth and bit on her finger, trying to hold back her whimpers, before warm hands gripped her shoulders and pulled her to a familiar chest.

'Don't worry. She'll be okay.' Mira couldn't hold back her strangled cry as she spun and clung to Freed. Freed held her to him, rubbing her back as her cries echoed in the silent guild. Turning, he looked up towards the infirmary door, now tightly sealed against intruders, hoping that he was right.

Laxus was clutching onto Lucy's pale hand, staring at her deathly still face that was always so expressive. Now it was grey and unmoving.

'Laxus! Get up off your hands and knees and be useful! Sterilise the scalpels and for Mavis's sake put on some gloves if you're going to stay here! Makarov, call that friend of Wendy's the other healer brat.' Makarov nodded and ran out of the room. Sherria would be able to get here quickly with Lyon's ice magic to transport her.

Laxus was trembling as he pulled on the rubber gloves Porlyusica had thrown at him, unable to take his eyes off of Lucy as the pink haired healer pulled Laxus cloak and wadded up shirt away. Blood trailed from beneath the bandages Wendy had hastily applied, and as the healer cut them away the liquid was allowed to flow free.

'Crap. What's her blood type? She needs a transfusion immediately or shell go into hypovolemic shock.' Laxus froze, only able to stare as Lucy's lips started to gain a blue tinge to them. 'Well? What do you think you're doing boy! Go find out her blood type now!' Laxus blinked, before running from the room.

'Mira!' His voice echoed in the guild, and Mira jerked from Freed's embrace to stare up at Laxus. 'What's Lucy's blood type?' His voice trembled, his ears pricked and waiting for her answer. He didn't wait long.

'O Positive. She's the only one in the guild.' Mira's lip trembled as Laxus swore before running back into the infirmary to tell the healer only to have her stop him.

'I heard. Makarov!' Makarov immediately appeared in the doorway, ready for his instructions. 'Call Magnolia hospital, tell them I need O positive fast. And lots of it.' She'd barely finished talking before Makarov had disappeared again. 'Boy! What's your blood type?'

'I don't know, Gramps has it all on file.'

'Get someone to find out any O negative donors.' Laxus nodded, running back out to the balcony and screaming down at Freed and Mira, returning to the infirmary in seconds. He hovered over Lucy's prone form, his eyes darting up and down her body and his hands hanging uselessly at his sides.

'What can I do?' Laxus said, turning his gaze to the woman standing over Lucy.

'Put pressure here while I get ready to close the wound. Wendy healed all the internal organs, correct?' Laxus nodded, already at the bedside and pressing down on Lucy's stomach.

'Yeah, but it goes right through her back. The pole pierced straight through into the chair –' He choked on his own voice as the image flashed before his eyes once again.

'It's okay, Wendy managed to heal her back. We just have to stich her up.' Porlyusica took pity on the boy, making her words as gentle as she could. He nodded, still applying pressure to the girl's abdomen.

Suddenly Lucy started coughing, her body trembling as blood seeped from her lips.

'I thought Wendy had healed her lungs?' Laxus nearly shouted, trying to hold the girls shaking body still.

'It's just some blood that was left in the lung. The shaking means she's going into shock, we need to close this wound and get some blood in her, now.'

Porlyusica approached the operating table with a threaded needle, and Laxus removed his hands from Lucy's stomach, instead trying to hold her body still from the shoulders as the healer swooped down on the injury.

Never had Porlyusica closed a wound as quickly as she did this one. In less than a minute, the three inch wide hole was sewn shut. Porlyusica quickly applied a herbal paste to the wound, watching as blood ceased to flow from her stomach. Makarov ran into the room, breathless and looking as though he'd aged a hundred years.

'Makarov! Where's my damned blood?' Porlyusica said, removing one bloodied glove and placing her fingers on Lucy's wrist, taking her pulse to the clock on the wall.

'It's on its way, should be ten minutes. Sherria should be here in five.' Porlyusica placed Lucy's hand down.

'Not good enough. She's lost too much blood. She needs a transfusion now or it'll be too late.'

'What do you mean?' Laxus said, his voice barely a hoarse whisper.

'I mean she'll go into shock from blood loss, and if she survives all of this she may have permanent brain damage. If the brain doesn't get enough blood, it starts to die.' Laxus shook his head, before looking down at the trembling blonde, before pushing back some stray strands of bloodied hair from her face.

'Master! We've found a donor!' Freed ran into the infirmary, his hair messed and his jacket missing, his shirt covered in damp splotches. 'Laxus, you're O Negative.'

'And why did no one mention this sooner?' Porlyusica growled out, running to prepare the for the transfusion as Laxus started swabbing his arm in preparation.

'Laxus! Are you certain about this? You might –'

'I know what I'm doing Gramps. I'm not letting her die. It's my fault she's here in the first place.' Makarov frowned at his words, before sighing and watching as Porlyusica sat Laxus down beside Lucy and pierced his vein.

'I only hope we're not too late.' Porlyusica said, turning the nozzle on the tube and watching as blood flowed from Laxus' body into the pale grey arm of the quivering girl.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dear Readers,**

 **I apologise for not updating as often as I've planned. Recently I've hit a block with a lot of my writing and it became increasingly harder to work up the enthusiasm to do anything.**

 **BUT! Today for some reason all this was possible. I hope you enjoyreading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Yours, Neko xx**

* * *

Laxus scratched at the bandage wrapped around his elbow as he yawned, before blinking rapidly and returning his gaze to the girl before him.

It had been three days since he'd pulled Lucy from the mangled remains of the train, and she had yet to open her eyes. Porlyusica had become a temporary resident of the guildhall whilst keeping an eye on her patient, and despite her ranting, raving and near constant waving of her broom, Laxus refused to leave the blonde woman's side.

Even when the uninjured members of Team Natsu returned with the culprits responsible for her injuries, tied up and beaten into bloody pulps, he couldn't even raise the energy to tend to them himself. Something had tied him to the unconscious Celestial Mage.

'Laxus, you should eat.' Laxus turned his head slightly to see Mira slowly enter the room carrying a trolley laden with food that would satisfy his draconic stomach. However, despite the mouth-watering scents of bacon, eggs and chicken that permeated and settled into the air, he felt as though he had no appetite.

'I'm fine, Mira. Thanks.' He said. His eyes had already returned to fixating on Lucy's face, monitoring her for any sign of alertness.

Mira drew in a breath and nibbled on her lip in worry. She'd never seen Laxus like this before… almost doting on someone. Usually, her mind would be obscured with romantic imaginations about the couple's future dates and children, but seeing how Laxus' complexion nearly matched Lucy's own paled skin she decided it best to hold her tongue.

Sighing, she grabbed a plate laden with a full roast dinner. She'd pulled out all the stops to try and tempt the dragon slayer to eat; roast pork, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and thick beef stock gravy almost spilling off the plate. Carefully reaching for a stein filled to the brim with beer, she walked over to the slayer and placed the food and drink carefully down on the table beside him. Pulling a set of cutlery from her apron pocket, she placed the utensils down as well, glancing at the man inches away from her that couldn't acknowledge her at all.

His entire focus was centred on the blonde woman before him.

'Please Laxus, try to eat. She wouldn't want to see you like this when she wakes up.' She said, resting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze, before leaving.

As the door clicked shut, Laxus turned to stare at the food. No matter how much he looked at it though, his stomach remained silent and his mouth remained dry.

Turning away from the meal before him, he returned his attention to his guild mate.

Her skin was still pale, but wasn't the alarming shade of grey it had been when he'd carried her near lifeless body into the guildhall. Not long after Porlyusica had stuck a needle into his arm and began a live blood transfusion, using her magic to force his blood to enter her body, Sherria had arrived along with a few bags filled with blood. Porlyusica had quickly swapped out his arm for one of the bags, and Sherria began sending pulse after pulse of healing magic into Lucy's body.

The two healers plus Wendy, who had eventually returned from the site of the train crash, had agreed Lucy had regained enough blood overnight, and had instead put her on a saline drip to help her body keep its blood levels up by itself and to supply her with the nutrients she needed.

He hated seeing the needle enter her arm. Hated seeing it there, because it just reminded him of how she'd gotten hurt.

Though he still didn't understand it, he felt like it was his fault that she was on that train. He'd been wracking his brains, rethinking every conversation he'd had with her since the drunken night he'd spent comatose in her bed, and couldn't think of anything he'd done or said that might upset her enough for her to want to leave.

'You'd better stop grinding your teeth and growling like some dog before I throw you out and don't let you back in, boy.' Laxus turned to see Porlyusica standing at the door, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and Wendy standing beside her. 'It's bath time. Now scoot.' Laxus glared at the elderly woman, but reluctantly stood up, his eyes glued to the Lucy for as long as possible before the infirmary door was slammed shut and locked behind him.

* * *

'Gramps.' Laxus said in greeting, his voice barely raised above a mumble as he leant on the balcony railing beside his grandfather.

'Laxus. I hear you haven't been eating.'

'Not hungry.'

'Child, you've been hungry every second of your life. That hasn't changed now. Go. Eat.' Laxus glared at the elderly man sat beside him, observing his so called brats and opened his mouth to retort before he was interrupted by one word from the old man. 'Please.'

Laxus blinked, staring into the guild masters weather beaten, lined face. His eyes were more wrinkled at the edges than usual, and his brow was furrowed. Sighing, he nodded and made his way down the stairs to the bar.

'Hey Mira, just a sandwich please.' The way the woman's face lit up, you'd think he'd just told her dark guilds across all of Earthland had up and vanished.

'Of course, Laxus, I'll be right back.' She said in a rush, running into the kitchen and calling for Kinana to mind the bar alone. She didn't want to take too long in case he decided to change his mind.

'How is she doing?' Laxus turned to see Natsu had sat beside him. Of course, he'd smelt the younger slayer approach, but elected to ignore him.

'No change.' Laxus said, his voice at such a low volume only Natsu would be able to hear.

'You figured out what you did yet?' Laxus shot the boy a glare. 'I'll take that as a no.' Laxus grunted, turning away so he could stare at the bottles of booze lining the wall behind the bar; absentmindedly acknowledging the varying colours of liquids reflected in the mirrored wall behind where the bottles hung.

'I love her you know.' Laxus slowly turned his head to stare at the boy next to him, an uncalled for rage slowly building inside of him. 'Not in the way I love Liss. She's my mate. Luce _is_ my sister though. You might not remember how, but you hurt her. She cried. A lot.'

'Tell me.'

'If she wanted you to know she would have told you. You've gotta figure this out for yourself. Try and remember what you said to her before you fell asleep in her apartment. Then we'll talk.' Natsu stood up, not letting Laxus get in a word. 'Just remember Dreyar. We slayers protect what's ours. And she damn well isn't yours yet.'

Laxus watched the pink haired boy walk away, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he immediately punched Gray in the face, starting a half-hearted brawl. Natsu had never spoken to him like that. He sounded as though he actually had a clue about something for once.

Laxus rarely allowed himself to get as drunk as he had on that night, simply because a dragon slayers hangover was a million times worse than a normal hangover, due to his enhanced senses. It was even rarer for him to black out and not remember portions of his alcohol fuelled adventures. Somehow though, Natsu knew whatever he'd said or done to Lucy that had upset her. If they were really as close as Natsu implied, she'd probably told him.

He groaned and clenched his fists, before his head snapped upright as a plate piled with bacon sandwiches appeared before him.

'Here you go!' Mira said, softly smiling at him. For a moment, he just stared at her face. He remembered how less than a week ago, he hoped and prayed for that exact smile to be sent his way. For her eyes to look at him with more than just a distant kindness.

For a moment he thought his mind was just clouded with lack of sleep, which was why his heart didn't stutter or why he didn't have to fight a blush as she looked him in the eyes.

 _Don't be stupid. You know why you don't react to her anymore, moron._

He nodded his thanks to Mira and quickly went to work on the meal before him.

'She's going to be okay, Laxus. You don't have to worry so much. Lucy is a fighter, through and through. A true Fairy Tail mage.' He looked up to see tears gathering in her eyes. He nodded, returning his attention to the sandwich that tasted like cardboard in his mouth.

It was then that he heard the infirmary door quietly open. Instantly, he dropped his food on top of the pile he barely put a dent in and swallowed what remained in his mouth, before silently climbing the stairs.

Wendy watched him approach the infirmary, her brows drawn together as he swept past her to return to the seat he'd claimed as his own beside her injured friend.

He rarely left her side, only acquiescing to Porlyusica's threats of violence when they needed to bathe Lucy or change her clothes. Even then, as soon as they left the room he immediately returned, using the time he'd been extradited from the infirmary to eat and use the bathroom.

Wendy could see how the Thunder legion and Master Makarov worried about the lightning slayer. They'd tried to get him to leave the infirmary, just to go home and change out of the shirt that was covered in her blood. In the end, Freed went to his house and brought him several changes of clothes.

Wendy had ensured that the stained shirt had been discreetly burnt. The scent of blood seemed to cling to clothing no matter how many times it had been washed, and with how Laxus was currently acting towards Lucy, Wendy could tell the tiniest remnants of her blood could send him over the edge.

'Wendy my child, how is Lucy?' Wendy turned away from staring at Laxus' now prone form sitting in the chair to face Master Makarov.

'All of her physical injuries have healed. Her body just needs time to rest. She forced herself to call out two Zodiac spirits, ignoring the severity of her injuries, and almost fully drained her magic container. We're lucky Laxus got to her when he did and acted so quickly. He saved her life.' Wendy said, her voice quiet and trembling as she informed Master of her discovery.

As she and Porlyusica were changing Lucy's clothes, Virgo had come out on her own power and informed them of what happened before they'd arrived at the crash site.

Makarov smiled as he turned to look towards the unconscious woman.

'She truly is far too selfless.' Wendy nodded in agreement. 'Wendy, I would also like to thank you. Your help in healing the other victims of the crash cut the fatalities in half. You've done well child. Now it's your turn to rest.' Wendy blinked rapidly and opened her mouth in shock.

'How… how did you know?' She said, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared down at her feet, her fingers knotted together.

'I may be old, but I'm not stupid. I commend you for helping the Doctors heal the wounded, but all you're doing is tiring yourself unnecessarily. Their wounds are not fatal and they are being cared for. You must rest, or you'll be the one that needs healing.' Makarov smiled at the girl, and reached up to ruffle her hair.

Wendy nodded, before wandering off to join the rest of Team Natsu, who sat at their usual table waiting patiently for news of Lucy.

Makarov watched her walk away, tears of pride in his eyes. Evergreen had seen Wendy sneak out of Fairy Hills at night and, worried for Lucy, she followed her. When Wendy didn't head towards the guild, Ever had gone against her original decision of letting the girl know she was there. When Wendy reached Magnolia General, Ever spoke to a nurse, who said Wendy had come in every night since the accident to heal the people injured from the accident.

Though Ever was touched by the girls dedication, she knew the child must be exhausted with the lack of sleep and almost constant use of her magic, and so had spoken to Makarov in private about the young slayers midnight excursions.

Makarov walked over to the infirmary door that hung open, and stood in silence as he watched his grandson wait beside the guilds celestial mage.

Quietly, he reached out and shut the door, giving the two their privacy, before slowly walking into his office a few doors down.

At this stage, he wasn't sure what exactly kept Laxus by Lucy's side, but he was more than interested to find out.

 _The feeling of the trains wheels turning along the tracks made the window her head leant against vibrate slightly. The feeling was almost comforting, lulling her deeper into sleep._

 _Then, there was pain. Screams. It went dark, then light and dark again as the thunderous and deafening sound of metal snapping, bending and breaking surrounded her. Her body was jerked upside down, sideways and forwards, before she screamed in complete agony as pain erupted through her stomach._

 _When the sound of the train's walls hurtling against the ground finally stopped, the cries and yells of terror and pain began. So many screams. So much blood._

 _Lucy looked down and felt her own scream build up, but just breathing sent hot white arcs of pain through her body._

 _She'd never felt such pain. Everything hurt. Her head. Her eyes. Every limb felt as though someone had taken to it with a cricket bat. Over and over again._

 _There was a metallic taste in her mouth. She coughed, sending her blood spraying out in a fine mist. She couldn't breathe… why couldn't she breathe… she was choking on her own blood, drowning on dry land, stuck. Impaled._

Laxus felt as though someone had injected pure adrenaline into his heart when she screamed.

The sound echoed in his mind, the pure terror and pain in her voice forcing his dragon instincts to the fore.

When the infirmary door slammed open he turned to face the intruders with a savage snarl, lightning erratically sparking across his body. He had to protect her.

No one would come near her. She was _his_. She was _scared_. He would stop whatever was scaring her. He would kill it.

'Laxus…' A voice called out, but his mind was too far gone, his draconic magic taking over his personality and sense. He let out a roar, dropping into a battle stance beside her trembling body, as she whimpered in fear, before letting out another scream.

'Laxus… help… her… calm down…' The voice was calm, almost soothing to his ears, but all he could feel was her fear radiating from beside him.

'Freed… something… runes.' Suddenly, Laxus felt his body go limp. He couldn't move when the footsteps got closer to her. He yelled and snarled viciously as he smelt salt water from her face, and heard voices too close to her.

Then, everything went dark.


End file.
